Pierre-Bise 09 Coteaux du Layon "a real treat"

The following review is taken from The Canberra Times: Panorama lift-out - Saturday 11th of June.

Château Pierre-Bise Les Rouannieres Coteaux du Layon Beaulieu 2009

The Coteaux du Layon wines are made from chenin blanc in a sweeter style often with a touch of botrytis or sun-dried fruit. They hail from near the town of Anjou on the river Layon, a tributary of the Loire. Les Rouannieres is a single-site wine, the site chosen for its distinctive soils and Beaulieu is the commune with its own appellation within the AOC of Coteaux du Layon.

Thats the name out of the way. The winery. Château Pierre-Bise has a reputation for making some of the finest wines in this style and this wine was a real treat. Dense and layered, chenin's typical brown pear fruit flavours are obvious to begin. There's also a nice herbal edge, wild thyme and rosemary perhaps, certainly honey comes into the mix. The real beauty of this wine is, in some ways, the finish. Fine and delicate, it almost has a dry tang, leaving you asking for another glass. I hate to use the term "complex" as it has very little real meaning when describing wine, but this has so many nuances of flavour you could probably get away with it. Try it with the pear and parmesan tart opposite.

Fergus McGhie